Kazuma Ardygun
"Don't assume all Trailers are scum like those pirates!" Kazuma Ardygun is a young man with big dreams. He is the son of a famous Trailer, and a member of the Valstork Family, a generally well-regarded group of Trailers. His hope is to one day surpass his father and become the greatest Trailer of them all. He is cheerful, energetic, and hot-blooded. He enjoys the adventurous life his chosen career brings him to its fullest. Along with his little sister Mihiro, Kazuma pilots the mobile unit of the Valstork Family, the Valhawk. This variable mecha, which inspired the design for the prototype Real Personal Trooper Type-1, has proven itself quite effective in his hands. Background Information Born in NC 102, Kazuma was the only son born to Blessfield Ardygun, a former pirate turned legitimate Trailer after meeting Yuumi, the woman who would become Blessfield’s wife. But Kazuma was far from an only child, with two older sisters (Shihomi and Akane) and one younger (Mihiro); even after his mother died, Kazuma never lacked for family affection or a place to call home. That place was the Valstork, the carrier ship from which Kazuma’s family derived their “business name” as the Valstork Family. Admittedly, not all of the crew were Ardygun blood; Horace Horian, an old colleague of Blessfield’s from their pirate days, was the Valstork’s helmsman, while Shihomi and Akane served as the operator and gunner respectively, with Kazuma learning to pilot their mobile unit, the transformation-capable Valhawk, which Mihiro eventually became the sub-pilot for. A role for everyone, and no role left unfilled: that was how the Valstork Family functioned as smoothly as they did, even after Yuumi’s death. They had their disagreements, of course; while Kazuma was in awe of his father’s accomplishments and reputation, he was frequently being put back down by Blessfield whenever he overreached himself, sometimes with a buffet (not the restaurant kind) as well as merely with words. The hard feelings didn’t lessen Kazuma’s admiration, though; if anything, they only fueled his desire to grow into a man who could truly earn Blessfield’s respect, and live up to the legacy of the head of the Valstork Family. Since becoming involved in the current conflict between the Earth Federation, the Divine Crusaders, and the Orb Union, Kazuma has found his sympathies divided between Orb and the EFA, with a severe distaste for the DC's ways of doing things. This hasn't stopped him from making friends within all of the factions, as well as among other Trailers. He was also (somewhat to his own surprise) chosen as the Gundam Fighter for Bit Colony, and while he had his doubts about whether his skills were up to the task, he still gave the Gundam Fight everything he had, surviving long enough to compete in the Finals before he was eliminated prior to the climactic Battle Royale, and pitching in heavily whenever the Devil Gundam surfaced and he was in a position to assist, up to helping to obliterate the Devil Colony form in the final battle. Personality Traits Kazuma’s most defining trait is his enthusiasm. He’s not one to hold back, and rarely one to stop and think about what he’s going to do; he’d much rather get out there and do it, whatever “it” happens to be. Escorting a freighter, delivering smaller cargo, taking out a nest of pirates or a flying hive of Space Monsters, he gives it his all without hesitating - even sometimes when hesitating would be the wiser move. With that said, though, Kazuma values family above everything else, with friends as a very close second. Threaten the Valstork, and you’ll have the Valhawk screaming towards you through space or sky, ready to crack your armor and fry your controls before you can blink. Threats made without a ship or at least a giant robot to back them up are less likely to draw Kazuma out quite so aggressively, but he still won’t let them pass unanswered. The real exception to this is when the “threat” is stated by family or by a trusted friend; Kazuma still won’t take them lying down, but he’s less likely to open up on you and more likely to listen to just what you mean. Kazuma’s major goal, as stated above, is to become an excellent Trailer and spaceman, the best ever, and live up to his father’s reputation. Of course, to do that he has to protect his ship and family, and to a larger extent, make sure that Earth (and the Earth Sphere and Solar System in general) remain viable places to live and to do business. He’d love to see the fighting end, and will do what he can to help stop the pointless skirmishes while rallying with other defenders to stop any alien assaults on Earth or other human-populated areas. Piloting the Valhawk is, for the most part, a means to that end of protecting what’s important to him. Talents & Abilities As a pilot, Kazuma's tactics tend to emphasize speed, agility, and generally not getting hit. Part of this is due to the fact that Mihiro is virtually always in the Valhawk's cockpit along with him, and his protective attitude about his family is reinforced when he knows his little sister is sharing the same risks that he does. Additionally, Kazuma's familiarity with the Valhawk's controls allows him to perform maneuvers which many other mecha pilots would consider on the edge of impossible (not to mention insane). Outside of the Valhawk's cockpit, Kazuma is generally a pretty friendly guy with a knack for making friends - sometimes even with his enemies. He also knows his way around giant robot repairs, since the Valhawk's maintenance is largely his and Mihiro's responsibility when they're not out piloting it. He's a decent shot with a gun if push comes to shove, but not quite as good in a close-quarters brawl as he'd like to be. His skills as a mecha pilot get further honing in the form of Burning PT, which he sometimes uses for practice - his virtual machine is a fairly close replica of the Valhawk's Close Combat mode. Friends and Enemies Aria Advance - Who the heck is she, why does she know Kazuma's sisters, and what's her issue with him? (OOC note: We need a new Aria player! She was precreated when the MUSH opened, we had a player on her for a bit, then she dropped.) Ali Al-Saachez - Kazuma doesn't know a whole lot about Al-Saachez, except that they've crossed paths directly or (more often) indirectly on a number of occasions. What he does know is that this mercenary is high on his list of people he intensely dislikes, having been involved in a number of incidents which Kazuma weighed in on the other side of - attacks on Orb, the theft of the Zeta Gundam, and (if Kazuma heard correctly) the attempted assassination of, and resultant coup against, President-elect Michael Wilson of the USA. Suffice to say that Kazuma will gladly try to take this guy down ... if he ever turns up again. Baron Ashura - Also called "Baron Half-and-Half" by Kazuma, this minion of Dr. Hell crossed Kazuma's path on a few occasions. After their last meeting near Quantico (during a Celestial Being raid on said base, which was occupied by the Divine Crusaders), Baron Ashura was apparently killed when his/her transport was hit by exploding debris from the Mechanical Beast which Kazuma (and Mihiro) had just destroyed. Then again, Doctor Hell claims to have brought Baron Ashura back already ... although Kazuma hasn't seen any trace of him/her since. Cagalli Yula Athha - "Princess" of the Orb Union, Kazuma was a little surprised to make her acquaintance while she was "on break" from her role and duties. They've become reasonably good friends, and part of the reason why Kazuma tends to take Orb's side when feasible. Lowe Gear - Kazuma and Lowe are old buddies, with Lowe's ship, the HOME, being the Valstork's primary contact within the Junk Guild. Kazuma has a high degree of respect for the Junk Guild as a whole - he's said that if you drop a member of the Junk Guild in a debris belt with nothing but a spacesuit and a toolkit, they'll have a functional combat machine inside of two weeks ... and will promptly take off after you to stop you from stranding any more members of the Junk Guild. Lowe is possibly Kazuma's best friend among the Trailers. Banjo Haran - Kazuma knows and respects the power of the "Circle of the Sun". In fact, he looks up to Banjo Haran to a degree that very few people other than Blessfield can claim. Banjo's openly-declared opposition to collateral damage during the Gundam Fight earned a lot of Kazuma's respect up front, before they even met; since seeing Daitarn 3 in action, Kazuma's respect has only grown, and he'll willingly offer his assistance if Banjo needs it. Further, Banjo is the reason why the Valstork's primary cargo runs during the Gundam Fight consist of building and repair supplies - although these haven't been needed much in connection with Kazuma's matches. Dr. Hell - Kazuma mostly knows Dr. Hell only by reputation as one of the Divine Crusaders' more murderous members, and has a comparably low opinion of him. One exchange of insults (from Kazuma's end, anyway) actually led Kazuma to shut up, when it was revealed that Baron Ashura wasn't as dead as Kazuma had thought ... but he still has no respect for Dr. Hell at all, and will gladly pitch in to foil his plots or thwart his attacks. Macua Huitl - An amnesiac Newtype whom Kazuma met during the Otakon Burning PT tournament in NC 118. He won their match, but they've stayed in contact, and Kazuma considers Macua his girlfriend (or as close as he has to one). Their relationship is still in its fledgling stages due to her place aboard the Freedan, but that's helped to strengthen the ties between the Valstork and the Freedan. LumiNoize - Kazuma's first "meeting" with the sentient alien giant was during a concert by Lacus Clyne on one of the PLANTs. Kazuma's sisters are probably bigger fans of LuNo than Kazuma himself is, but he recognizes Lumi and has a bit of a soft spot for him. Shu Shirakawa - Kazuma has encountered the Granzon on a couple of occasions, and has a healthy dislike for both the physics-bending machine and its pilot. Fighting the Granzon is proof that Kazuma is prone to getting in over his head - but he'll do it if he has a reason. Their first encounter was during the assault which interrupted the EFA's meeting with Teniquette Zezernan (later identified as a representative of the alien Zuvorg Alliance); Kazuma would probably have left the Granzon alone if it hadn't opened fire on the conference hall which was sheltering noncombatants at that time. Renton Thurston - Even though Renton is another Trailer, Kazuma's opinion of the younger teen varies from friendly to frigid. He respects that Renton is trying to do what he considers right, much as Kazuma himself is, but his patience with Renton tends to run rather thin - especially when the Nirvash lets a Seven Swell run loose. Nena Trinity - Kazuma and Nena have crossed paths a couple of times, their first encounter coinciding with an Orb Union attack on an EFA base. She targeted the dock where the Valstork was unloading supplies; Kazuma reduced her Gundam to an immobilized scrapheap - but did so without actually killing her, since he didn't want the area further tainted by radiation from her mobile suit. Eventually, Nena and one of her brothers were killed in a battle which Kazuma was nowhere near; he considers the Earth Sphere substantially better off, but doesn't waste time regretting that he wasn't involved in killing her. Aoba Tsuzaki - One of the very, very few Divine Crusaders pilots whom Kazuma calls "friend" - and he'd love to get her out of the DC. In Kazuma's book, Aoba is one of the few non-psychos in the Divine Crusaders. Valstork Family - Do you even have to ask? Kazuma loves his family, respects his father above practically everyone else, and will defend his ship and family with his life. Threaten the Valhawk, and Kazuma will be ready to kick your ass; threaten the Valstork (or Mihiro) and he'll rip you apart in a heartbeat. "Berserk button" only begins to cover it. Heero Yuy - Kazuma doesn't even know Heero's name yet, just his alias/codename of "01" and that he's a mercenary - and more cold-blooded than practically any other mercenary Kazuma's run into. He doesn't like 01 very much, due to 01's apparent disregard for the value of any person's life, but he won't pick a fight if there's no reason to do so. Bian Zoldark - Kazuma has been on the same battlefield as Bian Zoldark and the Valsione a couple of times, but for the most part, he only knows Bian by reputation and the fact that he was the founder of the Divine Crusaders. As vehemently as Kazuma hates the DC's stated goals and demonstrated methods, it's safe to say that Kazuma would rather punch Bian Zoldark in the face than shake hands with him. Sanger Zonvolt - One more of the very, very few Divine Crusaders whom Kazuma has anything other than hatred for. Actually, Sanger has a modest measure of Kazuma's respect, mainly for his skill and his code of honor, as well as for showing up on the right side of a few battles (mainly against the Devil Gundam). Outlook on the factions Trailers - No guarantees. Some of Kazuma's best friends are other Trailers; so are some of the people he hates the worst (including pirates and some mercenaries). This is very much a case-by-case basis; however, the Trailers Organization tends to have first call on the Valhawk's services. Members of the organization - even corporate members, such as the PMC Trust - aren't likely to get that benefit. Orb - Kazuma is more sympathetic to Orb than to any other faction; he approves of the fact that they're trying to end the war - supposedly with a minimum of casualties or damage. Fall short of that ideal, and there are no guarantees. EFA - Given that the EFA is more likely to protect civilians than to target them, Kazuma generally supports the Earth Federation, and he's made a few friends among their pilots. He'd rather fight beside the EFA than against them, but if he has to oppose them for some reason - including just to protect noncombatants - he won't hold back any more than he normally does (that is to say, he won't go out of his way to kill the pilot). Divine Crusaders - The only Earth Sphere-based faction which Kazuma outright hates; at this point, he won't even take DC-backed contracts (which he would at least have considered before Riksent ... but they screwed him over on that contract because he wouldn't kill his opponent - and in fact, was badly outmatched by the robot in question.) Everything Kazuma has seen of the DC paints them as the type to deliberately target noncombatants and wipe out civilian population centers; the fact that demonstrated psychopaths (if not outright war criminals) like Dr. Hell and Baron Ashura are prominent among their ranks does nothing to help offset this. Aoba Tsuzaki is proof that the Divine Crusaders aren't all evil ... but that just means he'd like to get Aoba and those who share her mindset out of the DC. Unknown (Aliens) - Much as with the Trailers, Kazuma treats aliens on a case-by-case basis. If you're friendly towards Earth and humans, good; if you're openly hostile, may your gods have mercy because Kazuma probably won't if it comes to that. Logs |ordermethod = title |notcategory = cutscenes |suppresserrors = yes }} Category: Trailers